Tree surgery



' 106. COMPOSITIONS, g

' 'Qffi'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD L. LEVIN, OF NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, ABSIGNOB TO THE FLINTKOTE COM- raw, or nos'rou, nassacnosm'rs,

Jo Drawing.

; 1 This invention has relation to the'art of tree surgery and relates more particularly to im proved methods of treating wounded, diseased, or decayed trees. In the treatment of diseased or decayed trees, the general practice is to first cut away or completely remove the diseased or de cayed portions, so as to leave a clear section or cavity exposing the heart or sound wood of the tree. The cavity thus formed is then suitably prepared for the reception of a filling, the aim being, of course, to prevent the occurrence or spread of further decay and to permit the growth of the treevto proceed in 'natural course. a

i The treatment of the cavity prior to the filling operation, has hitherto consisted of applying to thewalls thereof, coating compositions' of variousdescriptions. The materials which havg foundthe widefstb use for this purose inclu e hot coat-in o itumens, tars or Similar substanges and asphaltum paints such as asphalt detects or solutions of-as halt in e m e "S. f I v- -""-\l-flfl"i,h =7-- '.il", These materials however, do not meet the requirements essential to afford the necessary protection to the wall of the cavity and in other respects fail to provide an efiicient coating composition for this purpose. Where hot applications of bitumen or thelike are employed the resultant coating in many instances becomes cracked-due to the lack of elasticity and ductility which usually .characterizes these coatings, for. if a bitumen .is used which is sufficiently .soft to be elastic after "it has solidified, it is usually also sufficiently soft to flow down the walls of the cavity under the conditions of use. iFurthermore, molten bitumen such ashot asphalt or tar do not form permanent bonds with=the walls ofthe cavity, for the reason that-the cavity walls ;-are usually wet or at least :in'a moist condition and by virtue of the water repellent nature of these :hot or molten compositions, they do not wet the cavitywalls to a sufiicient extent =tobec0me firmly bonded and zunited thereto, and. hence leave avenues :through which water ormoisture may readily enter. "Cut backs of asphalt and the like, 150 also fail to? meet the requirements oil-elasticity and adhesive bonding qualities tom'ake ithem efiicient .in-zuse, the coatings resulting the evaporation of the solvent material ghaving a tendency to scale and part from the gm a mu -and many instances ial os o A WRPORATICN OF MASSACHUSETTS.

sans scnonav.

Application-flea February 8,1828. sum .10. 252,340. $7 v v prevent the separation of the filling from the cavity wallsand tlie form'ation of cracks and crevices therebetween, under the growing stress ofthe tree or during the-swaying action caused by wind. In this respect, hot mastic compositions are not as eflicient asfis desired since themelting point thereof is generally such thatthey become solidified immediately upon application thev walls of the cavity or at least before any bonding action is let fected thereby between the walls of the cavity v and the filling material. Usually where a relativelv cold m aterial is em loyed for filling the cavity', the insertion t ereof into the cavity serves to cool-thehot asphalt or tar wall lining and cause it to solidify before any substantial degree of bonding of the ,filling material to the cavity, walls takes place. In the case of cut compositions the oily and greasy nature oflthe coatingjwhile it is still soft and tacky-preventscomplete and pate bonding ot the filling composition 3P8 th rse n -Z l l ne .ob'ect 'f .my invention is to provide methods of treating the wallsofacavitiesin treesso as to produce a wall liner or coating which will be permanently united to the [wall and sufiiciently elastic to withstand the strains transmitted. thereto during the growth of the ,tree, as well as during swaying or other simi- ,lar disturbances.

ment of this kind which will result in a coatmg adagtoedio establish a complete and permanent; nd betweenthe walls of the cavity and the fillingcomposition employed therein. -,\';Another object. ofthe'; invention resides in .the proyisioniofgtreatment of this type which :{Will not ,re%uire' theuse of heat orrexpensive fjsolventsan which-willpermit the operation ame th re mha ar n, e en h g t kwood to be tr eated is wet or moist, and to otherwise provide for rapid and less costly ,methods-of treating cavityrwalls in disease d c yedy i jur d tr r a thcr ebiqct; tar ar di fr e ting,

t I r H I i I ,95 Y Another object is to provide fora treat- 106. COMPOSITIONS,

COATING OR PLASTIC.

cavity walls in such a way-that no;harm is done to the tree as sometimes occurs when bituminous materials dissolved in solvents are employed for this purpose, due to the harmful effect of the solvent upon the canibium layer.

It will be understood that where it becomes necessary in the treatment of a diseased or injured tree, to form a cavity by cutting away the diseased portion and then filling the cavity with a filler of some sort, the foregoing objects of my invention may be achieved irrespective, generally, of the nature of the filling composition. Thus where Portland cement concrete is employed as the cavity filler, either as a monolithic structure where the cavity is relatively small or where it is built up in sections as is generally done with larger sized cavities, many of the difiiculties inherent in these Portland cement structures are eliminated by the method of treating the cavity walls in accordance with my invention. For example, the brittle and inflexible nature of fillings of this type, even where they are built up in sections in the well known manner, results in the separation of the filling from the cavity walls and in the formation of cracks in the body of the filling when the tree is subjected to severe strains, as during the swaying thereof in the wind, or during continued growth of the tree and hence, unless the walls of the cavity are completely protected by a water-resistant and unbroken or uncracked coating as provided in accordance with my invention, water penetrating through the body of the filling will soon find its way into the interior of the tree and start fresh decay therein. Furthermore, these Portland cement structures, as is well recognized, are comparatively porous and slowly absorb by a capillary action considerable quantities of water and gradually transmit the same through the body of the filling, and thus furnish an additional source of decay. By treating the cavity walls in accordance with my invention, any water or moisture which reaches the walls of the cavity due to the porous nature of the filling composition, or through cracks formed therein, will be efi'ectually prevented from penetrating into the interior of the sound tree and inducing or promoting decay therein.

Cavity fillers other than Portland cement compositions which have been hitherto used are also defective for one or more of the foreoing reasons as well as in other respects and itis accordingly another object of my invention to provide improved means for filling tree cavities so as to overcome, or at least minimize, all these objections. According to this featureof my invention I provide a filling of a waterproof character, which can be applied as a monolithic structure even in very large cavities, and which will be impervious to water, and sufficiently resilient at all timesafter-it is in place to resist separation from the walls of the cavity or the formation of cracks and crevices in the body of the filling. I l

.Moreover,by utilizin treating the cavity wal s in conjunction with the novel type of cavity filling thus briefly described, numerous additional advantages may be realized, not only from the standpoint of the benefits that accrue to the durability and efficiency of the resultant product, but also from the standpoint of the decreased cost of production and economy and ease of application.

Other objects of the invention will more readily appear from the following more detailed description of the manner in which my invention may be carried out:

In my improved method of treating cavity walls, after the decayed or diseased portions of the tree have been removed so as to form the cavity of desired shape and leave the walls thereof exposing sound wood, I apply to the cavity in any suitable and convenient way, as by brushin oggpraying, an a ueous dis eriamrelatirabssc i artisans-so 1 ituminous substance. such as a al qrjhe 1 'e. or er, 0 realize the enents of my invention. it is essential that this dispensjgg shall be of the oil in wate; 2pc, that is, wit the asp 1a I or o er 1 uminous substance in the dispersed phase and with the water in the continuous phase thereof. Dispersions of this type may be produced by any suitable and convenient process, although I prefer to employ for this purpose a dispersion of asphalt having a melting point of from to 200 degrees F. produced by the methods described in the patent to Lester Kirschbraun, Number 1,615,303 wherein the dis )ersi W c (ion is accomplished with the awy 'v' w ders, suc as clav metallic OX1 es, minera l ments, slate dust and similar substances winch are ca able of producing viscous'plastic mixtures or pasty suspensions with wa r. as fully described in the said patent. iese dispersions may be produced either in a batchor in a continuous ma y n'ietHo'dE'HesEiubed in said patent.

I have found that when a dispersion of this type is applied as a coating or film upon the walls of a tree cavity, the objections which have been inherent in the coating compositions heretofore used for this purpose, may be eliminated. The water constituting the external or continuous phase of the composition is readily miscible with the water or moisture usually present on cavity walls and thus the water in the composition instead of being relled, as is the case where hot asphalt or cut backs are employed, is more or less absorbed by the wood, while none of the constituents of the asphalt or other substance comprising the internal phase of the dispersion penemy novel method for 7 txazm i filler to the wall of the cavity, than is the case persed material, so as to eliminate any tendrmm'ros 3 trates either the heart of the tree or the cambium layer, so as to harmfully affect the tree.

By virtue of the relation of the phases of the dispersion as thus described and particularly the ability of the water constituting the external phase thereof to penetrate the heart wood, I am enabled by this means to not only provide a coating for the cavity walls possessing the desired characteristics, but can simultaneously impregnate the heart of thettree with water soluble fun icide materials thus avoiding the necessity for performing a separate operation in .order to carry fungicides into the interior of the tree. Thus for example soluble substances, such as coqpemr flphate and i which are we 1 own or their ungici e properties, may be incorporated with the dispersion, and being'dissolved in the water constituting the external phase thereof, will be carried into the heart of the tree upon the application of the composition as a coating to the cavity wall or other exposed area.

The dispersions employed in carrying out my present invention should preferably be capable of being applied in relatively thick layers without flowing down the walls of the cavity and should form, upon the removal of the water from such layer or film,'a coating which is not only elastic and possessed of a considerable degree of resiliency,-but should also be relatively infusible at temperatures even in excess of the melting point of the dison any water or moisture reaching the same from the interior of the tree and likewise, water or moisture reaching the same by permeation through the cavity filling does not affect the film in any way which will cause the film to be deprived ofits waterproofing properties or its ability to maintain the permanent union of the cavity filler with the wall thereof. Thus the cavity walls are amply protected and the possibility for the filling material to part or recede from the walls of the cavity so :as' to form cracks or.crevices therebetween is greatly minimized. .Moreover, even though the cavity filling may be. caused by some other influences to become separated slightly from the walls of the cavity, the elastic properties of the dispersion film, will prevent cracking thereof while the ability of the film to resist the action of water will prevent any water which may enter between the filling and the cavity walls, from permeating the film and penetrating into the interior of the tree and causing decay therein. a After the cavity has had the walls thereof dressed in the mannerdescribed, itis then in readiness'for the reception of the cavity filling. The treatment of the walls of the cavity in accordance with my invention, affords certain desirable advantages for many types of tree fillings heretofore used. Thus where Portland cement concrete is employed, the filling operation may proceed with a minimum loss of time, for the wall dressing comprising adispersion of the type contemplated by my invention rapidly loses by evaporation a sufficient amount of water to attain a tacky adhesive condition most desirable for the application of the plastic concrete mixture thereto. The mutual miscibility of the water comprising the external phase of the dressing composition and the water in the filling composition enables the complete coalescence of the dispersed bitumen particles composing the wall dressing to proceed simultaneously with the setting of the cementitious filling composition, thus resulting in a firm bonding of the cavity filling to the walls of the cavity. Filling compositions other than lfi ortland cix'gent concrete may if desired be employed iii Erin unction with my novel method of dressing the cavity walls, although I prefer to employ, as will presently be described, a filling composition possessing certain desirable features, and which when employed particularly with my aforesaid method of wall dressing, affords numerous additional advantages which have already been alluded to and-which willbe'readily apparentto those skilled in the art of'tree surgery.

ency for the coating to flow when subjected to excessively high temperature conditions in use, as sometimes occurs with compositions which have heretofore been used for this purpose. The foregoing essential characteristics of elasticity and relative infusibilt-y, I have found to be present in the asphalt dispersions made in accordance with the Kirschbraun process.

I have found further that the film or coat ing produced when employing the bituminous dispersion of the type set forth, more efiiciently and permanently bonds the cavity with the coatings heretofore used as cavity dressings. A laver of a dispersion applied to the cavity wall in accordance with my invention remains soft and tacky for a suflicient length of time to enable the filling material inserted into the cavity to become firmly bonded and anchored to the cavity Wallby the interposed layer of bituminous dispersion, and after the said layer has thoroughly dried it forms a substantially permanent bond with the wall of the cavity as well as with In accordance herewith, '1 form a plast1c the filling itself. Furthermore,' after the mixture icomposed of and ent. 3nd a water'h'as been completely removedfrom the dis )ersion of bitumen p rp ferafily snnllar to coating composition used inaccorda'nce with El :IYPe of IHISPQISIOII used in-dressmg the my present invention, the resultant film is walls of the cavity. JThe hardness and other thereafter unafiected by water and hence seals characteristics of the'bitumen 'in' the disperso Mau a-z."-

106. COMPOSITIONS,

sion composing one of the constituents of this filling com osition may be the same or different from that of the bitumen in'the dispersion employed as the dressing composition. If desired, the dispersion ma have in- 2 corporated therein 2 to 6 0 of fiber in order to impart increased strength to 518 0' omposition. The constituents of the composition limay vary within considerable latitudes,'al- 1 though I prefer in most instances to compound the filling with gas part by vgpgne ,of cement, two parts by vo ume o te ituminous 1s ersion, and three ar s We bituminous spersion 16. genera y comprises about 50 to 5520 bitumen bv d wei ht. so that on e ry weight Basis the composition made with proportions as above stated contains about 14 to 18% of bitumen. As stated, the relative quantities of the sand, cement, and dispersion may be varied within wide limits. but in general it is I desirable that the bituminous content there- I of should be between to 30% by weight of the mix on the dry basis so that the co o s tion will ossess bl ma 1c Eiau. consistency of the mix is a so p ulated so as to permit the same to be worked into the cavity with a trowel andsmoothed off evenly in accordance with the general practise. The ceg ent sed 1 ears e composition as thus described is capable of setting and hardening, without any perceptible shrinkage in any other direction than in its depth, to a unitary monolithic structure possessing sufiicient flexibility to accommodate itself to-movement of the tree in all directions, and one which does not per- 40 mit water to penetrate therethrough to the interior of the tree as frequently occurs with relatively porous structures such as Portland cement concrete and the like. This composition is particularly advantageous when employed to fill cavities, the walls of which have been dressed with a coating comprising bituminous dispersion as heretofore described, for in that event, by applying the filling to the cavity while the wall dressing is still .50 moist and tacky and before the particles of bitumen therein have become completely coalesced. the bitumen of the innermost portions of the filling becomes bonded and firm- 1y united with the wall dressing and thus provides a secure attachment of the entire filling structure to the walls of the cavity. It should be understood, however, that in certain instances it may be desirable to permit the wall dressing to dry substantially completely before applying the filling composition thereto, although at the sacrifice of certain advantages accruing to the procedure first described' z In any event, however, after the cavity has ,65 been supplied with the proper amount of "Cress Reference filling and the filling shaped u to conform to the outlines of the tree, the lling is then allowed to dry and harden. Before, however, the filling reaches a very hard condition it should be compressed by tamping, rolling or otherwise pressing the same with a suitable tool, particularly around the edges thereof, .so as to relieve the internal stresses and to cause it 'to become more intimately fixed to the walls of the cavity.

After the cavity has been supplied with the proper amount of filling and the filling properly compressed, it may be desirable to apply a surfacing thereto. Numerous paint and similar coatings have heretofore been proposed for this purpose, but these generally have been unable to withstand for any substantial length of time the action of the elements, the usual result being that they very soon crack and scale from the exposed surface of the filling. In accordance with another feature of my invention, I may apply to the exposed surface of the filling a coating comprising a bituminous dispersion, similar to that used in dressing the cavity walls. Thus where a light colored filling such as a Portland cement composition is employed in a tree, the bark of which is of a dark or black color, the dark colored bituminous dispersion will effectively conceal or at least disguise the treated section of the tree. Where on the other hand, the bark of the treated tree is of a color other than black, suitable coloring agents, as for example pigments such as ochre, sienna, or the like, may be dusted onto the bituminous-dispersion coating applied to the surface of the filling composition while the coating is still soft and tacky so as to be imbedded therein and provide the filling with a surfacing closely resembling the bark of the tree. In any event, however, it will be understood that the coating adheres permanently to the surface of the filling and further prevents the absorption of water or moisture thereby.

It will also be understood that a coating of this type may be employed with advantage where the ling composition comprises a mixture of sand, cement, and bituminous dispersion as above set forth, and here also, the coating being applied to the surface of the dried and hardened filling composition, may have 'any desired form of coloring material imbedded therein in order to disguise the treated section of the tree. In the art of tree surgery it is frequently necessary to unite separate members or limbs to one another,-by grafting a section of a limb onto another limb or branch of the tree. The grafting operation usually consists in cutting a. notch or similar formation in one of the members to be united, and forming on the other of such members a correspondingly sha d projection or end piece to be inserted in t e notchof the first named member, so as stances, capable of causing slight thickening to be inter-fitted therewith in such a way as to permit the parts to be thereafter grown to ether.

In order to seal off the exposed surfaces and edges resulting from'the incisions made during the grafting operation, I have found that the application of a coating of bituminous dispersion of the type hereinbefore referred to, serves admirably to provide the necessary barrier to the entrance of moisture between the adjoining faces of the united members, and to prevent any of the sap or tree juices from exuding therefrom. For this purpose it is generally necessary to employ a dispersion of a relatively heavier consistency so as to permit the same to be applied to the joint by means of a trowel or the like.

If desired, the oonsistenc of the composition may be made heavier y the incorporation therein of suitable quantities of sub of the dispersion without however, affecting the stability thereof. For this purpose I may use any substance capable of inducing flocculation of the dispersed particles, although I prefer to employ Portland cement. This material may be incorporated into the dispersion in amounts ranging from 10 to 20% of the dispersion by volume. After this composition has been applied to the joint and formed in a layer therearound, the ]oint may be disguised, if desired, by suitable coloring agents applied to said layer while it is still in an adhesive and tackycondition.

If desired, relatively small amounts of Portland cement may also be incorporated in the dispersion to be a plied to the walls of .a cavity as heretofore escribed, in order to toughen and render more rigid the resulting dispersion film. In this event, however, after the desired amount of Portland cement has been combined with the dis ersion, it will generally be necessary to ad suitable quantities of water to the mixture, so as to reduce the consistency of the mixture to a sufficiently low de ree of viscosity to enable the same to be brus ed or sprayed onto the surface of the cavity wall.

I claim as my invention:

1. In the art of treating diseased or decayed trees, the improvement which comprises the step of subjecting the walls'of-a tree cavity to the action of a watery disperon the surfaces of the cavity walls, and being adapted, upon the elimination of water therefrom to coalesce and form on the walls of the cavity an elastic waterproof dressing infusible at temperatures considerably in excess of the melting point of said bitumen, whereprecluded sion of normally non-fluid and adhesive bi- *tumen, said dispersion being characterized "by its miscibility with moisture and juices 2. In the art of treating diseased or decayed trees, the improvement which comprises the step of applying to the tree cavity a mixture of hydraulic cement, sand, and a watery dispersion of normally nonfluid adhesive bitumen, said mixture being capable of application at normal atmospheric temperatures and being adapted upon the elimination of the water therefrom and setting thereof, to form a flexible waterproof mastic structure adherently united to the walls of the cavity, and said mastic structure being capable of accommodating itself to the growing stress and movements of the tree without the formation of cracks therein and without parting from the walls of the cavity.

3. In the art of treating diseased or decayed trees, the improvement which comprises the step of applying to the tree cavity 'a mixture of hydraulic cement, sand, and a watery dispersion of normally nonfluid adhesive hitw, said mixture being capable of application at normal atmospheric temperatures and being adapted u on the elimination of the water therefrom an setting thereof, to

form a flexible water roof mastic structure "dispersion ofbitumen siIm ar to that first named. y I 5 In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

I HAROLD L. LEVIN. 

